Just needed to get this out there.

[rogueslayer452]

I stopped watching Game of Thrones years ago, like I legit just don't care for it anymore. With this being the final season, with the series finale next weekend, and hearing about the kerfuffle going down and how fandom has been reacting which has been unavoidable since it's been everywhere, I just have this to say:

The show is not the books. The show was never the books. What happens on the show is not canonical to the books.

While there have been some changes made and moments that I liked in the show and while the books themselves aren't exactly perfect and do have issues of their own, the books are 5000% better than whatever the show turned out to be. So whatever has happened so far especially in the final season, and whatever happens in the series finale, just know that the books aren't going to happen the same way (and yeah, I know that GRRM has claimed that it's the same, but he's not been entirely reliable anyway with anything relating to the last two books he hasn't even finished writing yet, so, y'know, take what he says with a grain of salt).

Adaptations are tricky things. Some can turn out to be good even if they deviate a bit from the source material, while others not so good. And unfortunately while Game of Thrones might have started out decent enough with adapting the first book with the first season, it did go downhill after that. There's been many theories as to why, but I personally think that HBO/the showrunners had a completely different agenda from the start that wasn't meant to adapt A Song Of Ice And Fire as it should have been, or at least as what I believe it should have been.

Regardless, the show is almost over. What happens will happen, and we'll just have to hope that GRRM will get on to finishing the last two books so we can see what actually occurs in the end.

And even then, the fanbase for ASOIAF has been having their own fan theories and speculations for the series marinating for so long due to the long delay between the book releases, that I'm sure that even what happens in the final two books won't please everybody and it obviously won't stop them from keeping their particular headcanons. Same with the show, I'm sure. Because that's what fandom does, that's what fandom has always done when they don't agree with canon. So even if you're disappointed or upset or just plain hate everything, just know that you're not alone and that fandom will always thrive with making fanworks and content to fill that void even if GRRM hates it.

Comments

[malicat.livejournal.com]

I stopped watching after season 3 when I knew they wouldn't do Lady Stoneheart (I was so excited for this storyline,it's one of my faves in the books) and when they replaced my girl Arianne with some white dude. I mean,I was already disappointed with season 3 and there was all the unnecessary rape and violence (and yes,some of it IS in the books but they added so much stuff just for shock value) but this was really the final straw for me. Reading what has happened since then and especially in the final season now (I read the spoiler leaks and they have been true so I assume what I read for the finale is also accurate),I have ZERO regrets. What a colossal dumsterfire this has become o_O I had my problems with book 4 and 5 - the first half of ADWD made me lose my will to live lol - but the narrative at least made mostly sense? It was all the meandering and people pointlessly walking from A to B for like 100 pages (or staying in one fucking place over 4 books *glares at Dany*) that bothered me but other than that I still enjoyed it. That said,I have honestly given up hope that we will ever get those final 2 books? Which would really suck,I want something different than what they did on the show. Like,at this point it's not even abou the story being finished for me (especially since I have forgotten almost everything anyway ^^),I just want a DIFFERENT ending than what the show did!

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I was disheartened when they removed important players entirely, but in hindsight knowing what they've done to already existing characters on the show I'm kind of glad that they didn't get the chance to ruin them as well.

and yes,some of it IS in the books but they added so much stuff just for shock value

Yeah, plus even if some of that is in the books they could have easily made the conscious decision to not include it and focus on something else in the narrative. But nope, it was all about fulfilling the HBO quota and for the shock value. That's all the show is, essentially. Shock value. There is no coherent story or narrative to follow, because it's just all about the rape, battle scenes and explosions. Characterization, what's that? Plot and following it through to the end? That doesn't exist in Game of Thrones. It's about shocking the audience, even if it makes no sense.

That said,I have honestly given up hope that we will ever get those final 2 books? Which would really suck,I want something different than what they did on the show.

I've been saying for a while that either GRRM is waiting for the show to finally end to reveal the next two books like, "haha, you thought that was how it ends? this is how it truly ends!", or that he honestly doesn't care anymore and realizes the show is gonna reveal all the important things anyway so why bother. As much as I would love for the former to happen since the petty side of me would be absolutely delighted, I just don't think he cares about the series anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he just abandoned the last two books entirely at this point.

But I agree, I want a different ending than what the show has done. Even if some of the points remain true, it's how they're written that is the fundamental difference.

I just think that, overall, while the concept of doing the show at first was intriguing, they missed the mark completely on what the story actually is about. And it's very telling with the way they've gone about it. It's just sad how the show gained so much popularity that they probably think it's a win either way, because the "reactions" people are having are what they banked on, no matter whether positive or negative. They took something that could have been done well and ruined it for the sake of shock value, and that is the shittiest thing about this, tbh.